Stone County
Population 12,703 (2025) 606 sq mi
Property owners in Stone County have filed 8 federal flood insurance claims since 1978, 64th most of 75 counties in Arkansas.
Hazard fingerprint Each spoke is this county’s percentile among U.S. counties where that hazard occurs. How it is computed
- Tornado damage paths since 195024
- Tropical cyclone tracks within 100 miles since 1851, wider where stronger5
- Wildfire burn scars since 19845
At a glance
The record for Stone County in eight numbers. Each links to its section below.
Acres burned since 1984
9,116
16th of 75 in Arkansas
5 large fires; the largest was Unnamed, 2005
DetailsTropical cyclones within 50 mi
4
31st of 75 in Arkansas
None at hurricane strength since 1851
DetailsStrongest tornado
EF4
February 5, 2008, 121.8 mile path
Strongest tropical cyclone
TS
Tropical storm (unnamed), 1923, 24.2 miles away
Tornadoes
About one every 3.2 years since 1950, 4 of them rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
Strongest
February 5, 2008
EF4, 121.8 mile path
1,320 yards wide; 13 killed along the whole path.
Most recent
Friday, March 14, 2025
EF4, 116.0 mile path
Within the past year.
Every recorded tornado
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF4 | 116.0 | 5 | 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 6.8 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 6, 2022 | EF1 | 2.4 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 10, 2013 | EF1 | 4.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 30, 2010 | EF1 | 8.9 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb 5, 2008 | EF4 | 121.8 | 139 | 13 |
| Sep 22, 2006 | F0 | 5.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 27, 2005 | F2 | 7.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 24, 2003 | F0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 24, 2003 | F0 | 1.3 | 0 | 0 |
| May 24, 2000 | F1 | 1.9 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 3, 1999 | F0 | 1.0 | 2 | 0 |
| Mar 1, 1997 | F1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 1, 1997 | F0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 14, 1996 | F4 | 44.0 | 35 | 7 |
| Nov 15, 1988 | F2 | 13.0 | 4 | 0 |
| Dec 24, 1982 | F1 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec 2, 1982 | F3 | 23.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 11, 1979 | F1 | 8.7 | 0 | 0 |
| May 12, 1978 | F2 | 12.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 15, 1976 | F1 | 9.9 | 0 | 0 |
| May 14, 1974 | F1 | 62.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 30, 1970 | F2 | 7.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 14, 1953 | F2 | 36.2 | 0 | 0 |
- Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Stone County: 6.
- Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.
Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.
Hurricanes and tropical storms
4 passed within 50 miles since 1851; none at hurricane strength.
Strongest within 50 miles
October 17, 1923
Unnamed storm, Tropical storm
24.2 miles at closest approach, winds near 49 mph.
Most recent
September 14, 2008
Ike, Tropical storm
26.5 miles at closest approach.
Every storm within 100 miles
- Tropical storms and hurricanes (34 kt or more, still tropical) at closest approach. Post-tropical remnants with gale-force winds are listed but not counted. Direct: track within 50 miles; near: within 100 miles. Distance is measured to the county boundary for counties and to the city centre for cities, using positions interpolated hourly between HURDAT2 fixes.
National Hurricane Center HURDAT2, 1851 to 2025.
Wildfire and smoke
9,116 acres burned in 5 large fires since 1984, equal to 2.4% of the land.
Largest
March 28, 2005
Unnamed Fire, 1,886 acres
1,886 acres inside Stone County.
Most recent
November 23, 2005
Unnamed Fire
2,064 acres in total.
Every large fire
| Unnamed | 2005 | 1,085 | 2,064 |
| Unnamed | 2005 | 1,886 | 1,886 |
| Unnamed | 2005 | 2,533 | 2,532 |
| Unnamed | 2002 | 1,511 | 1,511 |
| Unnamed | 1999 | 2,100 | 2,102 |
- Large fires mapped by the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity program since 1984: 1,000 acres or more in the West, 500 or more in the East. Prescribed burns are excluded. Acres here are the part of each perimeter inside this place.
Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service), 1984 to 2026.
Smoke overhead
Smokiest year
2023: 55 days
Heavy smoke on 8 days in 2021, the most of any year.
Last 10 years
16.8 days a year
Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.
2025
10 days
Medium or heavy smoke. 37 so far in 2026.
- A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.
NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Floods and flood insurance
8 federal flood insurance claims since 1985, with $197,000 paid.
Most claims in one year
2008: 5 claims
$95,000 paid.
Claims by ZIP code
| 72560 | 8 | $197,000 |
Flood events since 1996
- Flash Flood35
- Heavy Rain9
- Flood8
1 death recorded in flood events since 1996.
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.
Drought
In severe drought or worse for 83 of 1,581 months since 1895 (5%); the longest spell lasted 17 months.
83
Months in severe drought or worse since 1895
17
Months in extreme drought
5%
Share of all months, severe or worse
17
Drought reports to the Weather Service since 1996
Lowest reading
August 1936
−5.25, extreme drought
Longest severe spell
17 months
September 1953 to January 1955.
Latest month
September 2026
−4.34, extreme drought
- The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.
NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.
Earthquakes
6 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles since 1900; the largest was magnitude 4.7 in 2011.
2
Magnitude 2.5+ inside the county since 1973
98
Magnitude 3+ within 50 miles since 1973
6
Magnitude 4+ within 50 miles since 1900
0
Magnitude 5+ within 50 miles since 1900
Largest within 50 miles
February 27, 2011
Magnitude 4.7
4 km NE of Greenbrier, Arkansas; 31.1 miles away, 2.0 miles deep.
Most recent, magnitude 3 or more
August 21, 2022
Magnitude 3.1
4 km SSW of Imboden, Arkansas; 41.9 miles away.
Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles
| Feb 27, 2011 | 4.7 | 31.1 |
| Feb 18, 2011 | 4.1 | 30.8 |
| Oct 11, 2010 | 4.1 | 29.0 |
| May 4, 2001 | 4.3 | 33.4 |
| Feb 28, 1982 | 4.1 | 38.1 |
| Jan 20, 1982 | 4.2 | 38.2 |
- Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the county boundary (or inside the county).
- Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).
USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Severe weather and other events
400 events in the National Weather Service record, 340 of them since 1996.
43
Hail reports, 1 inch or larger
4
Hail, 2 inches or larger
89
Damaging gusts, 58 mph+
81
Winter weather events since 1996
8
Heat events since 1996
5
Cold events since 1996
Largest hail
June 25, 2023
3.00 inches
Strongest measured or estimated gust
February 7, 2019
81 mph
More event types since 1996
| Lightning | 1 | 0 |
Costliest events since 1996
- Jan 26, 2009Ice Storm, Stone$50.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
The sheriff's office reported 1 inch of ice across the county by 5:30 AM on the 27th. At 8:00 AM, a storm spotter at Fox reported 2 inches of ice, with roads ice covered, tree limbs broken, and power out.
- Feb 5, 2008Tornado$29.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
The tornado moved from Van Buren County, north of Shirley, into Stone County, south-southwest of Rushing. According to a Red Cross survey, 24 houses were destroyed, 11 suffered major damage, 11 had minor damage, and 21 others were affected. Mobile home damage included 14 destroyed, 4 with major damage, 4 with minor damage, and 6 others affected. Major damage to businesses occurred near the intersection of Arkansas Highways 5 and 14 on the southeast side of Mountain View. A car dealership was destroyed and some of the cars on the sales lot were thrown across the highway. One car was lofted over a building across the highway and then thrown down into a ravine. Nearby, a utility pole…
- Mar 18, 2008Flood$6.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Heavy rain caused the White River in Stone County to flood. Approximately 41 residences were flooded. A motel, restaurant, resort, Allison-Sylamore fire station and the Mountain View telephone substation were flooded. One trout outfitting business was destroyed.
- Apr 14, 1996Tornado$2.5 million
National Weather Service narrative
The tornado first touched down 4 miles northwest of Fox. It moved northeastward, passing south of Timbo, where some homes were damaged or destroyed and a number of trees were blown down. The tornado continued moving northeastward, causing some spotty damage through much of the county until the storm was 3.5 miles southwest of Allison. There, a house was completely destroyed and the first fatality occurred at approximately 730 pm CDT. The tornado then moved into Allison at around 738 pm CDT, damaging a resort area and destroying a bathhouse. The storm then struck a campground near the resort. As the tornado moved through the campground area, trees were downed on recreational…
- Mar 18, 2008Flash Flood$2.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
A 64 year old man died in the flooding, northwest of Onia. He was driving back to his home and apparently missed his turn off Arkansas Highway 263 due to the entire intersection being flooded. His car ended up going into the floodwaters rather than on the county road. It was believed that he tried to exit his vehicle and was swept away. Most of the low water crossings in the county were flooded, as were many of the county roads. Approaches to 15 bridges were washed out, and one bridge was completely gone. Arkansas Highway 9 at Allison was closed due to flooding. Debris from the February 5th tornado jammed ditches and culverts, especially in the Mountain View area.
- Dec 25, 2012Winter Storm, Stone$1.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
The cooperative observer at Mountain View measured 12 inches of snow, while a CoCoRaHS observer near Mountain View measured 9.5 inches.
- May 1, 2011Flood$1.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Areal flooding was widespread in Arkansas, beginning early in May. The flooding was caused by large amounts of rain on April 30th, and May 1st and 2nd; high water flowing down from Missouri; and backwater flooding from rivers and large creeks and bayous. The Mississippi River was also experiencing unusually high stages, causing the White and Arkansas Rivers to back up near the rivers' confluence. Arkansas Farm Bureau estimated that more than 1 million acres of farmland were under water in the state. The flooding lasted well into May in many counties, and even into June in some of the counties in eastern Arkansas.
- Sep 13, 2008Tropical Storm, Stone$750,000
National Weather Service narrative
Trees and power lines were down along Arkansas Highway 66.
- May 31, 2013Flash Flood$600,000
National Weather Service narrative
Heavy rain caused considerable damage to county roads and bridges.
- Aug 30, 2012Tropical Depression, Stone$500,000
National Weather Service narrative
Although Isaac was a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico, it had weakened to a tropical depression by the time it reached Arkansas. Isaac passed through western Arkansas on the evening of the 30th and during the day on the 31st. Positions from the National Hurricane Center and the Hydrometeorological Prediction Center: August 30th at 10 PM (CDT) 95 miles south-southwest of Little Rock, August 31st at 4 AM 95 miles west of Little Rock, August 31st at 10 AM 25 miles northeast of Fort Smith, and August 31st at 4 PM 40 miles east of Joplin, Missouri. Although Isaac had exited Arkansas by the end of the month, some effects, including bands of thunderstorms spiraling in toward its center,…
- Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.
Weather records
From Calico Rock 2 Wsw, 17.6 miles from the county’s population centre, with records from 1915.
- All-time high
- 114°FAug 10, 1934
- All-time low
- −20°FJan 13, 1918
- Warmest night
- 82°F2 times, most recently Jul 30, 2022
- Coldest day
- 9°FJan 15, 2024
- Wettest day
- 8.00 inAug 11, 1913
- Snowiest day
- 14.0 inJan 11, 1918
- Hottest year
- 1921mean 62.5°F
- Coldest year
- 2014mean 54.5°F
- Wettest year
- 194575.92 in
- Driest year
- 198024.77 in
- Snowiest season
- 26.0 in1978-79
Median first snow
January 6
Earliest: November 2, 1951
Median last snow
February 15
Latest: March 24, 1940
14 of 79 winters had no measurable snow.
Station Calico Rock 2 Wsw (USC00031132), 359 ft elevation, 17.6 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1915 to October 27, 2026; 98.3% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.
NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.
Federal disaster declarations
30 since 1953. The most recent: Severe Winter Storm, January 24, 2026.
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | EM-3636-AR |
| May 21, 2025 | Flood | DR-4873-AR |
| May 8, 2025 | Severe Storm | DR-4865-AR |
| Apr 5, 2025 | Severe Storm | EM-3627-AR |
| Apr 4, 2023 | Winter Storm | DR-4700-AR |
| Aug 27, 2020 | Hurricane | EM-3541-AR |
| Apr 3, 2020 | Biological | DR-4518-AR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | EM-3461-AR |
| Feb 5, 2016 | Severe Storm | DR-4254-AR |
| Jun 25, 2013 | Severe Storm | DR-4124-AR |
| May 2, 2011 | Severe Storm | DR-1975-AR |
| Dec 3, 2009 | Severe Storm | DR-1861-AR |
| Jun 16, 2009 | Severe Storm | DR-1845-AR |
| Feb 6, 2009 | Severe Storm | DR-1819-AR |
| Jan 28, 2009 | Severe Ice Storm | EM-3301-AR |
| Mar 26, 2008 | Severe Storm | DR-1751-AR |
| Feb 7, 2008 | Severe Storm | DR-1744-AR |
| Sep 2, 2005 | Hurricane | EM-3215-AR |
| May 7, 2004 | Severe Storm | DR-1516-AR |
| Jan 6, 2003 | Severe Ice Storm | DR-1450-AR |
| Jan 24, 2002 | Severe Storm | DR-1400-AR |
| Dec 29, 2000 | Severe Ice Storm | DR-1354-AR |
| Apr 14, 1997 | Flood | DR-1176-AR |
| May 30, 1991 | Flood | DR-907-AR |
| May 15, 1990 | Flood | DR-865-AR |
| Nov 23, 1988 | Tornado | DR-817-AR |
| Dec 13, 1982 | Severe Storm | DR-673-AR |
| Dec 3, 1976 | Drought | EM-3019-AR |
| Jan 27, 1972 | Flood | DR-321-AR |
| Feb 15, 1969 | Flood | DR-254-AR |
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.
How this compares
Where Stone County stands among 75 counties in Arkansas and 3,143 in the United States.
| Tornadoes since 1950 | 24 | 50 / 75 |
| Tornadoes rated F3/EF3 or stronger | 4 | 28 / 75 |
| Tropical cyclones within 50 mi | 4 | 31 / 75 |
| Hurricane-strength passes within 50 mi | 0 | — |
| Wildfire acres since 1984 | 9,116 | 16 / 75 |
| Flood insurance claims | 8 | 64 / 75 |
| Flood insurance paid | $197,000 | 58 / 75 |
| Disaster declarations | 30 | 6 / 75 |
| Flood events since 1996 | 52 | 48 / 75 |
| Hail and wind events since 1996 | 154 | 68 / 75 |
| Winter storm events since 1996 | 81 | 13 / 75 |
| Reported damage since 1996 | $96.6 million | 16 / 75 |
| River crests at major flood stage | 0 | — |
| High tide flooding days a year, last 10 years | 0.0 | — |
| Months in severe drought since 1895 | 83 | 44 / 75 |
| Medium or heavy smoke days a year, last 10 years | 16.8 | 55 / 75 |
| Earthquakes M4+ within 50 mi since 1900 | 6 | 25 / 75 |
| Earthquakes M2.5+ in the county since 1973 | 2 | 22 / 75 |
Neighbouring counties
| Baxter County | 23 | 2 |
| Cleburne County | 30 | 4 |
| Independence County | 43 | 3 |
| Izard County | 27 | 4 |
| Searcy County | 17 | 1 |
| Van Buren County | 35 | 3 |
Sources and vintage
Every number on this page comes from these public records.
- Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
- Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
- Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
- Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
- Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
- Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USC00031132.
- River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
- Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.
Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.